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THE THRUMMING AND FLOWING of the Force is a constant feeling for Elysia Vale. It waxes and wanes, sometimes strong and sometimes weak but ever-constant, a firm companion in the world. Sensitivity to the Force is a rare gift that is getting rarer as the Jedi become less and less secular, becoming overly concerned about holiness and spiritualism in an increasingly fanatical way. A closed community within an age of technology and open access to knowledge is bound to fail.
Lyssa misses the lessons of her original master, often longing for his insight and wisdom when she feels conflicted, something that just further perpetuates a cycle of confusion within herself. When that happens, when she's caught in a swirling hurricane of guilt, confusion, and longing, it's always her connection to the Force that guides and grounds her, helping her withstand the impacts of her abandonment peacefully and responsibly.
As she stands in the Hall of Knighthood, she misses Master Dooku in tenfold. She shouldn't, especially with her second Master, Master Windu, standing on the other side of the door. But he was supposed to be here. He was supposed to guide her through the preparation, but instead he abandoned her after a few precious years for his old title as Count of Serenno. She tries to dislodge the piercing remnants of her shattered attachment to Master Dooku, cocooning herself in the Living Force.
She centres herself on her heartbeat, curling her toes and feeling the joints click slightly in her shoes. She reaches outwards, finding solace in the usual bustle of Coruscant. Cities encapsulate existence in their fullest, human experience in every corner. Life, death, love, grief, elation, sadness: all things that define living and existing in all its essence.
She's interrupted by her Master opening the door. "They're ready for you, Elysia." It's always strange to hear Master Windu calling her by her full name, but in order to demonstrate readiness to lose her Master, there must be distance. She opens her eyes and sends her Master a final smile as a Padawan.
"Thank you, Master." As she passes him, he rests a hand on her shoulder. Her nerves lessen at his presence in the dark chamber.
"Padawan Vale, please kneel." She follows the instructions given by her Master and her knees hit the cold floor beneath her. Around the circle, different colours of lightsabers are ignited, starting with the blue shine of Master Ki-Adi-Mundi and going around behind her before ending with the bright green of Grand Master Yoda's shoto lightsaber.
"We are all Jedi. The Force speaks through us. Through our actions, the Force proclaims itself and what is real," Master Yoda recites. "Today we are here to acknowledge what the Force has proclaimed."
Lyssa takes a steadying breath before Master Yoda's lightsaber comes down near her left shoulder, close enough for her to hear the buzz of energy over the strong waves of the Force surrounding both the Grandmaster's lightsaber and the chamber itself. It feels as though the Force had come to observe, to watch her become Knighted so young. The air in the room is heavy, suffocating.
